The most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children at home and in the classroom. At school, reading aloud is important for starting the day, presenting reading and writing mini-lessons, supporting social studies and science curricula, supporting whole-class book studies, and…

Shares the authors' personal narratives attempting to shed light on the many paths there are to literacy, especially when the gifts and talents that diverse families bring to education are honored and respected by caring and trusting educators. Imparts how their families' hopes and dreams made a decided difference in their education, future…

Discusses the advantages of one-on-one, side-by-side reading, which make it an essential complement to group story-reading. Outlines how teachers can implement one-on-one reading in their classrooms. (MM)

Discusses how reading aloud to students improves their reading competencies, including language processes, reading and listening skills, and reading motivation. Concludes that reading aloud should be a regular part of a daily classroom schedule. (MM)

The incorporation of literature into the school curriculum is perceived as an important way to involve students in "real world" reading. To maximize the use of literature in the school curriculum, teachers need to concentrate on three areas: (1) modeling for students; (2) developing a sense of story; and (3) enhancing comprehension…

Explores more deeply the role of oral reading in instructional practice, primarily in the elementary grades and with students who struggle in reading. Attempts to conceptualize more fully the positive role oral reading may play in classroom instruction, notes ways in which some persisting forms of oral reading practice in classrooms are counter to…

This article describes strategies for using storybooks to facilitate emergent literacy. It begins by providing background information about three areas of emergent literacy: oral language, phonological awareness, and print awareness. It then describes how teachers can facilitate the development of these three areas through purposeful, yet playful…

This book, one of a series, shows how to help motivate children to learn. The message of the series urges parents and children to spend time together, talk about stories, and learn together. The first part of each book presents stories appropriate for varying grade levels, both younger children and those in grades three and four, and each book…

A review of the research literature on teaching deaf or hard-of-hearing students to read led to identification of 10 recommended practices for adults reading to these children. Practices include: focusing on the purpose and enjoyment of reading, using the child's dominant language in interactive dialogue, relating the child's life to the text, and…

Proposes that the best reading advice to give parents is this: parents should read to their children. Explains the reason why this is the best advice, and offers tips for successful read-alouds. (MG)

Outlines a program that helped parents to become active partners in their children's reading development. (FL)

Noting that children's success as learners rests on their ability to read well, this booklet provides parents with information about learning to read and includes activities for them to use in helping their children become readers. Twelve essential components of research-based reading programs are discussed: components 1 through 5 list activities…

This paper encourages teachers to read to older students with hearing impairments. Guidelines are offered for selecting appropriate books, planning and carrying out the reading activity, and developing follow-up activities to incorporate the reading into other aspects of the curriculum. A list of seven recommended books is included. (JDD)

Intended to help educators explain an instructional program to parents, this document presents and discusses the following ten statements reflecting traditional views about teaching reading: (1) Reading is a simple, passive mental process. (2) An efficient reader pronounces every word in the passage. (3) When children come to an unfamiliar word,…

Intended for people who are willing to expend the effort to help children become independent readers and writers, this book presents professionally accepted approaches and techniques with step-by-step instructions for tutoring on a one-on-one basis in the language of the lay person. It contains a theoretical and attitudinal base from which to…